Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many benefit claims are suspended by the Risk Review Team.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Information on the number of claimants convicted of fraud after having their claim suspended by the Department’s Risk Review Team is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Since the beginning of December 2022, the Risk Review Team have reinstated 627 cases that were previously suspended.
The Risk Review Team currently have 108,362 cases suspended.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2023 to Question 169368, what guidance his Department offers to advice and assistance work coaches on claimants who are subject to the benefit cap but not expected to seek employment because their circumstances prevent them from working.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Universal Credit guidance is available for work coaches and also published in the House of Commons library. The department is committed to refreshing these at regular intervals.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2023 to Question 169369 on Social Security Benefits, for what reason people who are found not fit to work but not in receipt of the severe disability premium are subject to the benefit cap.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Many claimants who have a health condition choose to work. This is why the department continues to provide support to those claimants not exempt from the benefit cap to help prepare and move into or towards work.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2023 to Question 169366 on Universal Credit, for what reason the benefit cap is applied to people who are in work but earning less than £658.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The monthly Universal Credit earnings threshold is based on 16 hours a week at the National Living Wage. The cap is applied to those earning under that level to encourage people into work and reduce long term dependency on benefits.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2023 to Question 169369 on Social Security Benefits, for what reason people who are unable to work because they are the primary carer for a child under the age of 3 are subject to the benefit cap.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government firmly believes that where possible it is in the best interests of children to be in working households and the benefit cap provides a clear incentive to move into work.
The Government clearly recognises that high childcare costs can affect parents’ decisions to take up paid work or increase their working hours which is why the changes to the UC childcare element announced in the Spring Budget 2023 will provide generous additional financial support to parents moving into work and/or significantly increasing their working hours.
The UC childcare policy aligns with the wider government free childcare offer and the Tax-Free Childcare offer. The current free childcare offer provides 15 hours a week of free childcare in England for all 3- and 4-year old’s and disadvantaged 2-year old's, doubling for working parents of 3- and 4-year-old to 30 hours a week. From April 2024, working parents of 2-year-olds will be able to access 15 hours of free childcare per week. This will be extended to working parents of 9 months to 2-year-olds from September 2024. From September 2025, all eligible working parents of children aged 9 months up to 3 years will be able to access 30 free hours per week.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the benefit cap at incentivising claimants who are the primary carer of a child aged under three into work.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
An assessment has been undertaken and the findings form part of the evaluation of the lower tiered benefit cap which is scheduled to be published in due course.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2023 to Question 159058 on Social Security Benefits, what (a) advice and (b) other support his Department provides to claimants who are subject to the benefit cap and the primary carer of a child under three.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
A full range of support is available to claimants, which includes work coach interviews, national and local provision. This support and advice is ongoing and can include, for example, employment support to help them find work, budgeting support, housing advice and signposting to local authorities to access to Discretionary Housing Payments
The Government clearly recognises that high childcare costs can affect parents’ decisions to take up paid work or increase their working hours, which is why the changes to the UC childcare element announced in the Spring Budget 2023 will provide generous additional financial support to parents moving into work and/or significantly increasing their working hours.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2023, to Question 159058 on Social Security Benefits, what advice his Department gives to people who are subject to the benefit cap but not expected to seek employment because their circumstances prevent them from working.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
All claimants without a specific work coach, for example, have access to support and advice on a voluntary basis. The full range of support is available to claimants, which includes work coach interviews, national and local provision. Work Coaches will ensure that claimants understand how moving into work, progressing in work and earning more will help them financially alongside advising them of the level of earnings they need to have in order to be exempt from the Benefit Cap.
The support and advice is ongoing and can also include, for example, employment support to help them find work, budgeting support, housing advice and signposting to local authorities to access to Discretionary Housing Payments.
Capped households are directed to further information and advice available on Gov.uk via the Universal Credit monthly statement.
There are also multiple local jobs fairs, disability confident events and a wide variety event of training available.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2023, to Question 159058 on Social Security Benefits, whether claimants who are not expected to work have access to advice from Work Coaches in Job Centres.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
A full range of support is available to claimants, which includes work coach interviews, national and local provision. This support and advice is ongoing and can include, for example, employment support to help them find work, budgeting support, housing advice and signposting to local authorities to access to Discretionary Housing Payments.
People with health conditions and disabilities can access direct support from Disability Employment Advisors in Jobcentres. This is in addition to Additional Work Coach Support which will provide disabled people and people with health conditions with increased one-to-one personalised support. Additional Work Coach Support is already live in one third of jobcentres. It will be available in more jobcentres from spring 2023 and will be available nationally by 2024.
There are also multiple local jobs fairs, disability confident events and a wide variety event of training available.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2023, to Question 159058 on Social Security Benefits, for what reason people who are not expected to seek employment because their circumstances prevent them from working are subject to the benefit cap.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Households receiving severe disability benefits and/or entitled to carer benefits are exempt from the benefit cap.